Foam Atop The Waves
by locket dust
Summary: The Little Mermaid by H.C. Anderson - The sea princess sacrificed everything for her human prince, only to throw herself back into the sea and become foam atop the waves


**Foam Atop The Waves**

Deep below the crystal cornflower water

I sit in my garden of coral and seaflowers

For hours I dreamed of swimming to the surface

To see the humans and their world

For all of the tales I've been told to come to life

When my fifteenth year finally approached

It was my turn to see my dream world

My family wished me luck and bade farewell

They faded behind me as I swam closer to the light above

My heart was bursting

So many stories echoed in my mind, I was about to see them all

Finally I raised my head over the waves, and took a deep gasp of human air

My soul was thrilled as I floated there

I could see everything I had ever dreamed of

It was twilight time; the stars were twinkling in the deep blue sky

Far away there was a sleeping island, with warm sands and quiet palm trees

I smiled

Suddenly there was a roar of waves behind me

I turned in the water and there before me floated a ship

Designs carved elegantly, sails flapping in the wind and humans

I saw them dancing and laughing

How I longed to be a part of their world

A special one caught my eye

The prince

He reminded me of my little human statue that was back in my garden

I could not take my eyes off of him

His chiseled face, warm eyes, strong arms

He was so beautiful, more than all of my dreams

The sea became restless as lightning flashed across the sky

A hurricane was coming

A terrible storm that would throw the men from their ship

I rescued the prince

I wrapped my frail arms around him, they became strong with his touch

For hours I carried him through the raging ocean

I swam around the destroyed parts of the ship, careful not to let him slip under the waves

We reached the shore as the sun rose and I laid him across the sand

An eternity seemed to pass as I sat and watched in silence, my tail curling beside me

The sun glistened over his handsome face

He began breathing, and my heart tightened

I never wanted to leave him

But a maiden rushed out of the chapel then

I had to leave before she saw me

How it shredded my heart to leave my prince

I kissed his forehead as he came to life

I dashed back into the sea, and hid behind an ocean sprayed rock

From there I saw him smile to the maiden as she rushed over and helped him up

He knew nothing of me

He thought she was his rescuer

This killed my dreams, tore my heart

I sadly sunk back beneath the waves

He would never love me, he would never think of me

I was just a poor little mermaid

When I returned home, I told my sisters nothing

I sat in my garden, which soon became dead with my gloom

In long hours of loneliness I truly felt for the prince

I decided to visit the sea witch

All of her magic should help me

She gave to me a potion to drink

But warned me of the great pain it would cause

And if the prince did not fall in love with me, I would never achieve an immortal soul

I would throw myself into the sea and become foam on the waves

I would also have to give up my voice

To never sing again, or speak saddened me

But I didn't care, I would have legs

I would do anything for my prince

The sea witch cut off my tongue, and handed to me a shining bottle

I was to swim to the shore and drink it

The moon was shining softly on the beach as I creeped up to the marble stairs

Inside the castle, the prince was sleeping

I sat on the steps and drank the potion

Instantly I felt the pain

Like a great sword piercing through my body

I fell over and lay across the stairs

When I awakened, the sun had risen, and there was the prince

He stood before me in all his beauty

I wished I could speak, to tell him he was my only love

But I had no voice

I looked at my new legs, white and slender

I admired them as he helped me up

The pains the sea witch cursed me with took over

Each step I took felt as if I walked across the tips of swords

But I was here with him, walking in his arms, I didn't mind

For days I stayed by his side

Enduring the greatest of pains just to see him

I talked with him through my eyes

I longed for him to marry me

But he said he would marry the maiden that had saved him

He told me the story, and my heart ached to tell him I was the one

He would never know

He laughed and played with my hair

I could never achieve an immortal soul

He would never love me enough

I could only lay my head on his chest and sadly dream of human happiness

The next day we set sail to see his beautiful princess

As we drifted over the sea, they were married

I watched with great pain as they were happy

For him I sacrificed my voice, my family

For him my feet bled with every step

For him I lost my childhood in the ocean

As he and his new bride slept happily in their tent

I threw myself into the waves

My body dissolved into pearly foam and I bubbled into the air

It was all worth nothing


End file.
